Mistakes on first "real" dives

[GJC]

I've been on a lot of different boats and each one is a little different. Most will give you a pretty good briefing on how their boat operates and what is expected from you. A few (in the caribbean) will actually put your bcd and regulator on their tanks and the divemaster almost holds your hand the whole dive. Others (mostly in the north) you are on your own.

For your first few boat dives, you can let the divemaster know it's your first (or second or third) boat dive, have never been on tnis boat before and you're not sure of what they expect of you. They will most likely appreciate the heads up and give you more of an orientation than the regulars on the boat.

You may also want to try to find a more experienced buddy to act as a mentor or find a club to join that can help you along with your early dives. Or you might find the boat diver specialty course helpful.

 

[Jack Hammer]

@Verses , Thank you for posting your event. New divers are often afraid of criticism so they wont share a story. It takes courage to put it out there.

Most of our charters are small boats, "six packs". Some of the "DMs" on Midwest charters are not even part of the charter operation or necessarily a DM at all. It is common for people to book a charter and open it to other divers. They get to dive free if the boat gets a minimum number of divers but must act as the "DM." Also, many local dive shops (LDS) will do the same, they book the charter and supply their own DM. There are also local divers who will go as crew and perform tasks typically associated with a DM in exchange for a free charter. Then there are also charters with no crew or DM, the Captain will perform all those duties. And, of course, there are boats with an actual DM who is a compensated employee. You can see a mix of all these from the same charter outfit depending on the day.

Locally you are typically expected to take care of your own basics. The DM will give a brief overview of the site with depths, etc. They are there to assist you with planning or setup if you ask and to help with basics, like making sure everyone gets in and out of the boat safely.

I dont recall ever seeing them switch tanks or assemble everyone's gear like I've seen common to touristy areas. Nor do I recall ever seeing a group led all together over a site. Each team is somewhat independent, within reason, of their plan.

My best recommendation is if you feel you were treated poorly you should contact either the Captain or whomever you booked the charter through and politely mention it to them. There are people that are not welcome to act in a DM capacity of some boats.

 

[Marie13]

@Verses

I’d like to apologize if my posts seemed too harsh. I am an extremely direct person. I have encountered people who expect charter ops up here to hold their hand every step of the way, like some of the boats in tropical places do. Remember that you’re responsible for yourself and your buddy. If you want to a buddy check, do it. The boat isn’t going to remind you to do it. And a lot of divers don’t do them in real life.

 

[hammet]

Nothing wrong with explaining to the boat crew what your experience level is and ANY concerns you may have. Not sure about Great Lake boats, but in most locations, you can hire a dedicated divemaster for about $100 a day to stick with you while you build your confidence. Just speak with the operator about that option when you book your dives.

 

[Marie13]

@hammet

That would be very unusual here

 

[CT-Rich]

Every diver goes through what you went through. Some times it takes a few dives to figure the really basic stuff out. I took someone out.last weekend and despite being a free diver, this was her first realscuba experience post certification dives.

Her mask leaked, she rototilled the bottom she lost one of her weight pouches towards the end of the dive. She wasn’t stoked for the second dive, but we took the snorkel off her mask, got rid of her hood, showed her how to insert the pouch properly and I explained how I know when to add and release air from my BCD. She had a great dive and went home happy.

Everyone is a train wreck to start. You take your lumps and learn from them.

 

[lowviz]

...//... water was cold at the bottom, like 41F. I lost my buyoncy at the bottom and kicked up some silt. ...

I don't know if this is a procedure or not (I'll be hammered if it isn't, but oh well) but it works for me. Sometimes, early in your diving experience, you just realize that you are going to hit bottom. Go with it.

Try to control your landing with short bursts of air into your BC, but don't over do it or you are on your way to a buoyant ascent. Plan your landing. I'll stretch out an arm with two fingers extended and hope I don't go past the elbow in silt. Freeze, legs outstretched and immobile. No panic, no rush. Stop for a moment when you come to rest. No problem, no silt.

Take however long it takes to get your head back together. So now you are getting bored of this. (I don't want to be here.) Short burst into your BC. Still here? Another short burst. Wait several seconds. Still here? repeat cycle until you ever so gently begin to ascend. Once you are up to finning distance from the bottom, a short dump of that last shot of air and you are good again. No silt cloud, nobody noticed.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Thanks for posting so everyone gains from your experience. Dive charters, DM roles and Boat procedures vary depending on the operation and the location. I've had the "babysitter" operations in both cold and tropical water locations. I'd say the same for the "pool's open be back in x minutes or x pressure" operations cold and tropical.

My suggestion is when you book with the organization ask them to explain briefly their boat and DM policy. If it doesn't match your preferences you can save both sides frustration and book elsewhere. If it doesn't match what they deliver you have justification for complaint.

I've had boats that got ticked if you assembled your gear prior to loading it, others who wanted it assembled. Often that had to do with how they secure/transport/store the gear. I've even dived operations where we had to assist pushing the boat out into water deep enough to start the engines then get into the boat from chest deep water. When we got back we had to jump into the water to push the boat in and onto the boat trailor which was hauled by a tractor before being transferred to the truck.

I also suggest you check when they usually start to load and where. Turn up early boat operators hate people getting there late. My real reasoning is that if you turn up fairly early you will be able to watch how things are done.

Most importantly you will be able to watch the other divers. See who seems to know what they are doing and handle their gear efficiently. Pick someone who seems good and strike up a conversation. You may even be able to get them to agree to be your buddy before you board the boat. On the way out (or earlier) you can talk about buddy procedures/expectations. You may find yourself a mentor or new dive buddy this way and everyone wins! It certainly avoids the dive in a gaggle.. no designated buddy situation. Also give you a better chance of having a better buddy relationship.

 

[Gareth J]

There is often a case of what people are supposed to do and what they actually do.
Similarly, there is what people are taught, and what people actually do (or remember!).

I very seldom dive from boats where there is a DM. Normally for me this is only on the rare occasions I squeeze a dive in when working in the USA, or something like a Red Sea Trip.
Most of my diving is in or around the British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland). As a general rule we book the complete boat as a group, or guest on a boat. The dive managing will be down to us. The boat briefing down to the skipper (Captain), the site briefing normally down to the skipper (Captain). The dive parameters by agreement, generally this is how long we will be in the water, and how much decompression we will run, and if its DSMB's on the ascent, shotline etc.
If we have newer divers on the boat we will tell them to do a buddy check, plus they will get a dive briefing from their experienced buddy (instructor) . If we have newer divers diving together, they will get a briefing from us, and they will have to confirm their dive plan with our dive manager. If I'm with a new diver, they will get a dive briefing, and we will be doing buddy checks. Divers I don't know will get the same treatment as a new diver, until I have a feel for them, then I will cut them some slack.
Divers I do know, we will discuss the dive and our preferences, and modify to the most conservative. Truthfully, we might not do our buddy checks in front of each other, doing our own personal checks.This is almost always followed by the question,Gas On?, before we approach the boat exit point.
If I don't trust someone they will get a buddy check, no matter how many dives they have, trust is earned and easily lost.

We teach and dive as buddy pairs, not as groups. As a general rule, the visibility is not reliable enough or conditions benign enough to assume you can dive as a group. Hence the slow escalation of dive responsibility for new divers, buddy very experienced, buddy similar experience on a 'easy' (known) site with over site on the dive plan by the dive manager, to a buddy pair planning their own dive and managing their own dive. For us, if a pair of newer divers are diving together and choose to abort the dive, its a good sign for us that they are learning, taking the dive seriously and have the good sense that its better to be back on the boat regretting cutting the dive short, than in the water wish they where on the boat.

Ultimately, dive conduct is your decision. Is the dive suitable, is it safe, are the conditions safe, are you capable of safely doing the proposed dive, are you happy to dive with your buddy, the guide, the boat.
The biggest leap is going from student, where you do what you are told without question, or because the instructor told you to do it, and pass responsibility for your safety to the instructor (which you should never do anyway). To taking personal responsibility for your own safety. - that's when you are a qualified diver (the C -card has nothing to do with it).

Gareth

 

[Outbound]

Great Lakes boats do not hold your hand. If you were expecting the charter op to remind you to do a buddy check, your expectations were unrealistic. Calling a charter op “lax” because they don’t remind you to do a buddy check makes me scratch my head.

You’re expected to have your stuff together up here on the Lakes. If you need/expect to be reminded of basic stuff, then diving up here probably isn’t going to be a good fit for you. Somewhere warm may be more your speed. You seem surprised by the 41F bottom temp.

It’s just common sense that putting your gear together before the boat leaves is going to be a heck of a lot easier than trying to do it when the boat is moving and likely bouncing around on the Lake. Has nothing to do with experience or not. Just common sense.

With all due respect, Marie, you only dive Great Lakes wrecks. Your expectations are different from someone who dives in other environments. Go dive in the tropics and you'll typically get a longer and more detailed briefing, a DM who will act as a guide, and it might even be the custom to assemble your gear on the boat.

As for buddy checks, PADI (and probably other agencies) hammer them into new divers. So if that procedure is skipped on a charter dive, it might seem to the new diver that they are "doing it wrong." Because, at least according to the way it's taught, they kinda are. No need to then scold someone asking serious and valid questions and claiming that they must want their hand held.